“We´ll never give up”

Bolivia: peasant leaders and their addresses at Isla del Sol

“Today we are more united than ever to respect nature, Mother Earth, but developed countries never worried about life, they only worry about money. Today we are showing that Mother Earth, the environment and nature are respected”.

This is what the national executive secretary of the National Confederation of Peasant, Indigenous and Native Women of Bolivia “Bartolina Sisa”, Juanita Ancieta, at the event that took place on December 21st in Isla del Sol, on Titicaca Lake, called by Bolivian President, Evo Morales. The goal of the indigenous president was to celebrate Summer´s solstice, which for Latin American native peoples marks the beginning of a new era in the life of humankind.

Several representatives of Latin American progressive governments and social movements were present in the celebration and listened to Morales´ “Isla del Sol Manifesto”.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we´ll never give up, this is the beginning to show the empire which has always wanted to destroy peoples and humiliate them, that they haven´t taken us into account. Today we have presidents who work everyday for their peoples”, said Ancieta, highlighting the role of Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, and former Cuban president, Fidel Castro, and their struggles for life.

Meanwhile, secretary general of the Peasant Workers Trade Union Confederation of Bolivia, Julian Jala, said that “from this day, we all have to work to strengthen our plurinational Bolvian state, working together to produce, working together to restore uses and habits, which was being lost”. “We are showing the energy we are receiving right now”, said the leader.

At the celebration in Isla del Sol, Evo Morales said that the world is being hit by multiple crisis, such as the climate, financial, food, institutional, cultural, ethic and spiritual crisis. The Bolivian president said that the global crisis is an indicator of the final days of capitalism and over consumption. According to the president, it would be the end of an era where human beings aim to be superior to Mother Earth, and turning nature in an object of their ruthless predator domination.

On the commodification of nature that comes with capitalism at world level, the “Isla del Sol Manifesto” reads: “We live in the kingdom of the color green. Green as dollar bills are monetary policies, green as dollar bills are development policies, green as dollar bills are housing policies, green as dollar bills are human development and environmental policies”. “That is why, in light of this new wave of crises of the capitalist system, its drivers promote the privatization of nature through the so-called green economy or green capitalism", reads the text.

The true solutions included in the Manifesto can be divided in political, social, environmental, cultural, spiritual aspects, integration among peoples, food sovereignty, knowledge and technology, finance and international institutions.

“Our vision of Well Living Community Socialism is based on rights, not on the market. It is based on the fulfillment of the happiness of the people, by respecting the rights of peoples, States and Mother Earth in a complementary, inclusive and interdependent way”, concludes the Manifesto.